Smith, Warner, Maxwell among several big stars skipping Bangladesh tour
Smith has withdrawn himself from the squad for an elbow concern while the others cited 'various reasons'.
Australia will field a heavily depleted side when they travel to the Caribbean and Bangladesh since seven key players have opted out. Cricket Australia has announced an 18-man squad for the upcoming white-ball tours.
Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, David Warner, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson, and Jhye Richardson have opted out of the tours. Smith has withdrawn himself from the squad for an elbow concern while the others cited 'various reasons'.
This would mean that Justin Langer would be without six of his biggest stars as Australia build towards the T20 World Cup scheduled later this year.
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The likes of Kane and Jyhe Richardson and Marcus Stoinis are believed to have pulled out for a series of personal reasons after they had returned home playing the IPL, which followed strict isolation protocols before the tournament was halted.
Australia chief selector Trevor Hohns was disappointed for not being able to pick a full-strength squad.
"We are naturally disappointed not to have all players available for the Australian team at this time however the NSP (National Selection Panel) respects the decisions of those who have opted out of this tour," Hohns said.
"International tours in the time of Covid-19 undoubtedly present many additional challenges for athletes. They also present opportunities for others and, in this case, the chance to push for selection in the Australian men's T20 World Cup squad later this year and beyond. This is a great chance for these players to make a case for the World Cup and all are considered very real prospects of making that tournament by performing well across these tours."
"Steve Smith was unavailable for selection due to an elbow injury and will now be able to use this time to fully recover ahead of the World Cup and home Ashes series. Steve was disappointed to miss the tour with the decision made on medical grounds," he added.
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Dan Christian, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.
Traveling reserves: Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha.
